Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk has confirmed that the club are in talks with striker Steven Fletcher over a new contract at the club.

Fletcher hasn't started a game for the Owls since early January due to injury, but came off the bench to net a 95th-minute winner for Monk's side against Charlton on Wednesday, ending a run of seven games without a win in the league for the Yorkshire club.

After that victory, Fletcher - whose current deal at Hillsborough is set to expire at the end of this season - claimed that he has held talks with the club about a new contract, and is keen to spend the rest of his career with Wednesday, something Monk now appears to have backed up.

Speaking about a new deal for Fletcher in his pre-match press conference ahead of his side's clash with Derby on Saturday, Monk was quoted by the club's official Twitter account as saying: "The club are in talks with Steven and his representatives.

"He wants to stay here, apart from the injury he’s had a fantastic season. We’re in talks and hopefully there will be a positive outcome."

Since joining Wednesday following his release from Sunderland in the summer of 2016, Fletcher has made a total of 132 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 38 goals.

The Scotsman's tally of 13 in 24 league appearances this season makes this his most prolific season for the club, and has helped them to 12th in the Championship table, eight points off the play-off places.

The Verdict

This ought to be encouraging for both parties.

With Fletcher and the club both now seemingly keen for a deal to be done, you imagine it should not be too hard for an agreement to be reached, which ought to then allow a quick shift in focus back to on the pitch matters.

Given his performances and contributions so far this season, it also seems as though securing Fletcher's future at Hillsborough could be a smart move for the club.

Indeed, you only need to look at the drop in form Wednesday have endured while Fletcher has been injured to see his importance to this side, and that is something you imagine they will not want to lose again.